THE TEMPLE OF GREAT WORTH

I was reading 2 Chronicles this morning and had to stop and ponder the Temple Solomon had built in Jerusalem. When I think of ancient buildings, I tend to picture them as merely glorified ruins they are today. But this morning I was reminded that the whole Temple in Jerusalem—walls and all—were covered in gold. The underlying timber was held together with nails made of gold. Each 20-ounce gold nail would cost $26,000 today.

The doors of the Temple were made of bronze. The Temple basins and tools were made from bronze or gold. Everything was decorated with elaborate carvings also made from gold or bronze. The walls were studded with precious gems.

I wonder if folks needed sunglasses to just step inside the Temple.

Still, such a spectacularly beautiful structure could not come close to the beauty of the One for whom it was built. Our God created the heavens and the earth. Nothing is more beautiful to our human eyes than those creations.

God also created the bronze and gold minerals He then hid deep inside this beautiful earth as delightful treasures for us to discover and appreciate. He also gave us artistic skill and craftsmanship so we could create art and fill the world with even more beauty—man-made though it is—in our attempt to honor God by what we do.

No effort, no cost, no detail was skimped on when Solomon built the Temple. He knew that honoring the Lord God was worth every effort, every cost, every detail. Although God may not need a physical building and surely doesn’t need gold and bronze pillars, still our human hearts hope He understands that such things we do are done out of love for Him.

When I consider that the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in me and that my body is now His temple, I am awed even more. Maybe I don’t always think I am of great worth, but God, the Spirit has chosen to reside in me. To Him, I am of great worth. Each cell in my body is worth more than one of Solomon’s golden nails.

Jesus knows that too. The nails driven into Jesus’ hands and feet were more precious than all of Solomon’s golden ones combined. Those nails caused Jesus’ physical death—a death He gladly bore for my sake, because He valued me and you that much.

Thank you, Jesus for your nail-pierced hands. Thank you, Holy Spirit for living in me. Thank you, Father for your good plan, for your beautiful world and all who live in it. Amen.

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NOTE: I found the above conceptual rendition of the Temple in Jerusalem at many locations on the Internet. I was never able however to find out who originally drew it. I therefore am not able to give proper credit to that artist, but thank him or her for creating it and sharing it with us.